Kevin Naze: Offshore Challenge, K/D tourneys coming up

Algoma’s longest-running active charter captain, Lee Haasch, holds a 29-pound, 11-ounce chinook salmon caught by a client early Sunday morning. The 42-incher smacked a fly a few miles off shore on Lake Michigan. Scott Mansur of Northland Taxidermy in Algoma will be doing a skin mount of the trophy “king.”
(Photo:
Kevin Naze/For the Kewaunee County Star-News
)

A pair of Lake Michigan fishing contests are coming up the next two weekends, starting with the ninth annual Offshore Challenge during the Kewaunee Trout Festival July 12.

The team event runs from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a mandatory rules meeting the night prior at 7 p.m. at the Kewaunee Marina. For more info, call Mike at (920) 255-7888 or email marina@cityofkewaunee.org.

Meanwhile, you've got 10 more days to purchase tickets for the 32nd annual Kewaunee/Door County Salmon Tournament if you want to get in on the early-bird prize drawing.

There are 10 major early-bird prizes this year, including seven pairs of Guideline Eyewear polarized sunglasses, two wireless tablets and a $100 gift card.

Tickets for the July 19-27 event are available at Algoma BP, Lakeshore Lighthouse and the Kewaunee Marina. Cost is $25 for the 9-day tourney, or $13 for a daily chance.

You can check out photos of some of the big catches this summer on the K/D Salmon Tournament's Facebook page.

While the hot spots often change almost daily, much of the salmon action has been taking place two to five miles off shore and 25 to 75 feet down in the water column.

Flasher and fly combinations have been best for most anglers, with some bites coming on spoons, plugs and cut bait. Presentations run away from the boat off large planer boards or behind divers are getting the most strikes.

Water temperatures are still quite cool, and it wouldn't be a surprise if an occasional pier angler would tangle with a trout or salmon in the pre-sunrise hours. Spoons and spawn are best on the piers.

Biting bugs are a real pain on the inland streams and shoreline areas of the inland lakes. That said, if you can get out on a windy day or don't mind a good soaking of insect repellent, there are fish to be had.

Catfish, bass, bullheads and panfish are among the occasional catches on the river systems while the lakes are producing mixed bags of panfish and bass along with an occasional trout on Krohn's Lake or muskie on East Alaska.

Bay anglers from Dyckesville to Chaudoir's Dock are getting a few perch, bass and walleyes along with plenty of sheepshead and gobies at times.

Summer scouting

It's no secret that some of the most successful hunters are year-round scouting and shooting fanatics.

Certainly, those with access to prime tracts of private property have an advantage, but even those who hunt nothing but public lands can benefit from time spent trying to figure out the best spots to set up ambush for whitetails, wild turkeys and other wildlife.

Summer tune-ups of your shooting eye at the range are important. Once dialed in, shooting from different positions — any that you might find yourself in while afield targeting game — is helpful.

Mental preparation is a big part of successful hunting, and knowing you can make the shot is a confidence-booster. Physically prepared hunters often have higher success rates, too, so make time to exercise this summer.

Public land hunters know that the movements of deer and turkeys are often tied to habitat and hunting pressure. That makes scouting a critical piece of the puzzle if you hope to fill a tag or two this fall.

There's no substitute for covering lots of ground on foot, but scouting can be done from the road — or computer — too.

Many hunters today use Google Earth and Google Maps to search for potential hot spots. These do-it-yourselfers look for areas that might concentrate game movement yet are farther off the beaten path than the average tag-holder might want to walk.

After you choose a hunt area, print a copy of the image, laminate it and take it along while afield. A marked map can go a long way toward helping you make good decisions on where to set up shop come September — or whenever you get out during the season.

Kevin Naze is a freelance outdoor writer. Email him at wildtimes@wizunwired.net.